Frequently Asked Questions

A microchip is a small device about the size of a grain of rice that is implanted beneath your pet’s skin. As the pet guardian, you change the microchip information to reflect your personal information. If your animal happens to get out of your control, any animal shelter or veterinarian can scan that animal for a microchip. They will then be able to call the phone number listed on the microchip to make the owner aware they have their animal. Microchipping is one of the best ways to get an animal back to their owner.

Every dog and cat adopted from Salt Lake County Animal Services is spayed/neutered, microchipped, and current on their vaccines.

No. Raccoons are wild animals. Call a professional raccoon trapping service or pest control to handle the problem.

Find out more about USDA APHIS Program and if your city/township participates. 

If you are bitten by a dog or cat and it breaks the skin, you are required by law to file an official bite report. To report a bite, call our Officer Dispatch at 801-840-4000.

It’s unfortunate that you can no longer care for your pet. If this is something we can possibly help with, like helping to find pet-friendly housing or a behavior issue (ie, fence jumping, barking, digging), please refer to the Owner Support section for helpful tips or contact us for help!

If you still need to re-home a pet, there are a few different options. If you adopted from Salt Lake County Animal Services within the past 30 days, bring a pet back to us. If it is after 30 days and you do not live in one of the animal control jurisdictions, take the pet to the Humane Society of Utah.  If it is after 30 days and you live within one of animal control city jurisdictions, bring that pet back to us and do an owner turnover for a fee. If you did not adopt from us go directly to the Humane Society of Utah.  If you can re-home a pet with a friend or family member, that is another good option. Please be sure to notify us so we can change our records.

Any individual age 55 or over can adopt any animal over the age of 5. The adoption fee will be waived. That means an adoption is FREE. If you live within our jurisidiction. The pet will still need a license at the time of adoption.

Would you like to be part of an amazing team that cares for animals both in our community and in our shelter? Please visit the Salt Lake County job listings for openings within Animal Services.

We strongly discourage having dogs ride in the back of an open truck, due to safety concerns. We recommend installing a shell on your vehicle, or putting the dog in a kennel or airline crate. Depending on a city’s animal ordinances, dogs riding in the back of trucks may be illegal. Please refer to the “LAWS” section to check out your city’s animal ordinances.

The number of owned pets you may have depends on the city in which you live.

Please refer to your city’s animal ordinances

Call that city’s animal control. If it is in Salt Lake County Animal Services’ jurisdiction please call dispatch at 801-743-7045. Take down the license plate number and alert the store manager. DO NOT break the window on your own. Let the authorities do this. During the summer months, animals in hot cars are a top priority call for animal services. Please plan on leaving your furry friend at home if you are running errands or going to a venue that is not intended for animals.

Please refer to the “LAWS” section to check out your city’s animal ordinances.

Pets need vaccinations to help protect them from disease and to help to keep them healthy. Some vaccinations, such as Rabies, are mandated by law, and help keep pets and people safe. There are many different vaccinations that can be given for a variety of infectious diseases. Many are based on your pet's lifestyle. We recommend that you speak with a veterinarian about what vaccinations are right for your pet. Please refer to the “Vaccines” section of our website for more information on what vaccines are available.

Please refer to the “Calendar” section to check out our upcoming events!

Yes! Residents in the jurisdictions we serve are eligible for low-cost or no-cost spay and neuter, depending on your income level. If you live in our service area, please call us at 385-468-7387 to discuss your options.

There are many options in our community though, regardless of where you live! Please refer to Low-Cost Spay/Neuter Options for more information.